Ministry of Health and Prevention launches series of awareness events in line with national campaign to combat TB

September 18, 2018

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The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) has successfully organized a series of awareness events aimed at helping raise more awareness about the country’s national program to combat Tuberculosis (TB). The events, which will run from September to November, looks to promote community awareness about TB, including the importance of how to prevent the disease, the treatment methods and how to achieve a healthy, sustainable and disease-free environment.

According to MOHAP senior officials, the purpose of the campaign is to help make the public more aware about TB, which despite being infectious, is fully treatable is the appropriate treatment method is applied. In this context, the Ministry seeks to raise awareness about the disease, its causes, the ways of transmission and prevention. The Ministry has expressed confidence that the events can help make the public more informed about this disease–resulting in a drop in the infection rate, which can be reflected in the national TB index.

H.E. Dr. Hussein Abdul Rahman Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for Health Centers and Clinics, MOHAP, affirmed the importance of intensifying efforts and cooperation with all health institutions and strategic partners in the State to control the prevalence of TB as a communicable disease. The Ministry works with an integrated strategy to combat TB by enhancing individual awareness and identifying the symptoms of TB, the ways to prevent it and to reduce its prevalence in the society in line with the direction of developing a health system capable of preventing the society from Infectious diseases and reducing the number of those infected.

Dr. Nada Al Marzouki, Director of Preventive Medicine Department, MOHAP added, “The Ministry is keen on implementing many strategies, initiatives and awareness campaigns to combat TB and through the events launched by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, the community is educated about the symptoms of TB and the importance of early detection. In addition to familiarizing individuals with the preventive and therapeutic procedures taken by the Ministry in cooperation with health institutions and health service providers in the state, such as the activation of short-term treatment systems under direct supervision and the provision of free medicines to all residents in the country and follow up the patients in the primary care centers until full recovery, as well as educate the public about the need to commit and to complete the treatment and appropriate preventive measures should be taken to avoid the transmission of infection.”

The two-month event is being held in conjunction with the third high-level meeting of the United Nations (UN), which will be held on the 26th of this month in New York City. The meeting will discuss the commitment of various countries’ anti-TB campaigns and achieving the target of TB elimination by 2050. The UAE affirms this commitment by adopting strategies and initiatives through which international standards and recommendations are applied to help achieve this goal.

The events will cover a number of locations in the northern Emirates through awareness-raising and educational activities targeting community members in general and some of the groups most susceptible to infection in particular. The beginning of the events will be in Dubai, in coordination with Dubai Municipality to educate a large segment of workers and people who come from countries with high rates of TB infection in the second week of September 2018, followed by awareness events and programs in the Ajman Free zone and umm Al Quwain Mall in October this year, and events will continue in other places in UAE including Rolla Park in Sharjah, the Union Crushers in Fujairah and RAK Ceramics.